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Acclaimed Russian conductor and pianist Mikhail Pletnev has returned to Thailand, where he is due to appear in court after being charged with raping a teenage boy, an embassy official says.

"I can confirm for sure that he is in Thailand," Andrei Dvornikov, chief of the consular section at the Russian embassy in Bangkok, said on Sunday.

Mr Pletnev was charged on July 5 with the rape of a 14-year-old boy in Pattaya, where the musician has a house, a restaurant and a music school.

The artistic director of the Russian National Orchestra denies the charge, which carries a sentence of up to 20 years in jail.

A court allowed him to travel overseas after he posted extra bail, but required him to report back to the court every 12 days, starting from Monday.

Legal sources in Pattaya said he was likely to appear in court Monday. (AFP)

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